


The Selfless Girl (An Oswald Cobblepot fic)

by IronicallyAngel



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Edward Nygma - Freeform, Eventual Smut, F/M, Gotham City Police Department, Micah is scared by Penguin, The Penguin - Freeform, but also hella intrigued, nursing back to health, saving a character, she works with Nygma for GCPD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-01-05 12:51:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18366383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronicallyAngel/pseuds/IronicallyAngel
Summary: Oswald Cobblepot did not like Edward Nygma at first sight. However, that did not steer him away from Nygma's assistant, Micah. Something about her interested Oswald, but he didn't know what. Who knows? Maybe she's just an ordinary person. Guess he'll have to find out.





	1. Edward (and Micah) meets The Penguin

“Anyway, Nygma, as I was saying-” Micah Elliot Schwartz looked at Edward, but the bespeckled man was staring off. “Nygma?” The dark haired girl said, trying to gain his attention. “Hello?”

Suddenly, her medical examining mentor began walking down the stairs, leaving the young woman behind. Following him with her eyes, he seemed to be following a limping, shorter man with spiked, black hair, who seemed to be getting away from the tall man. Micah’s auburn brows furrowed as she slowly followed to see what Ed’s relationship to this man was.

As she got closer, some detectives were whispering about the spiky haired man, referring to him as “The Penguin,” and the occasional, “Cobblepot.” She was sure she heard Jim Gordon mention him when she and Nygma worked on a case. Oswald Cobblepot, if she was to recall correctly.

The two men stood still. “Can I help you?” The shorter man suddenly asked, looking very irritated by Edward’s presence. He made Micah shrink into herself, though he wasn’t even talking to her. Hell, he probably didn’t notice her.

“I don’t think so.” Nygma said, turning his head to look at the man in the suit. “Can you?” He joked. Though his stupid joke made Micah want to laugh, she tried to make it look like she wasn’t eavesdropping.

The Penguin offered Edward a shady smile and a fake laugh. “What do you want?” He said, keeping up his smiling facade. Now, this interested the ME’s assistant, as she stood to the side, pretending to be very interested in reading a file.

“What I want,” Ed began, turning to face him entirely, “The poor have, the rich need, and if you eat it,” The doctor raised an eyebrow. “You’ll die.”

Now Micah wanted to groan and roll her eyes. He was telling Oswald a riddle. Of course he was. After spending way too many hours with the man, she knew he had a habit of spouting any riddles that came to mind. This was no exception.

The bird dropped his smile as he stared at Nygma is disbelief. “Is this…” He shook his head. “Are you asking me a riddle?” The freckled man almost looked disgusted with the idea.

Nygma merely smiled. “Do you like riddles?” He asked the short man.

“No.” Oswald answered, brutally honest. Micah was surprised. She usually said she liked riddles. That seemed to shut Ed up. For at least a solid 5 minutes.

“So do you give up?” The Medical Examiner pressed.

With another shady smile and fake laugh, Penguin opened his mouth. “‘Friend,’ look, I-”

“Nothing! The answer is ‘nothing!’” Nygma announced, amused and pleased. “The poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it-”

“Who are you?” Cobblepot interrupted, wanting the conversation to end.

“Edward.” The tall man said. “Nygma.” He added, with an over enunciated “g.” The Penguin had to stare a bit as he continued. “I know who you are.”

Oswald’s face almost cracked another false smile before he glared at Edward. “Then you know you’re standing too close.”

Edward’s smile slowly faded as he looked down at his feet and pouted a bit. He stepped back, backing up into Micah, making her drop the file and crime scene photos. “Hell!” Micah squeaked as she began to recollect the photos and paperwork.

Nygma turned, his eyes widening behind his glasses. “Sorry, Micah.” He said quickly.

Now, that captured the limping man’s attention as he stared at the curly haired girl. Micah. That wasn’t really her name, was it? That was a boy’s name, was it not? How untraditional. However, being called “Penguin” wasn’t exactly seen as “traditional” either. He continued to inspect the woman as she collected the contents of the file and adjusted her white lab coat.

That is before Nygma turned to Oswald again. “Did you know that male emperor penguins keep their eggs warm by balancing them on their feet?”

Cobblepot now gave Nygma a very dirty look. Does this man never shut up? He was refraining from punching him in his face, or doing much worse, which, you have to believe, was hard.

“Isn’t that neat?” Nygma said with a pleased smile.

Oswald took a step closer, giving Edward a look that terrified Micah. “Nice to meet you, sir.” He hissed. “Keep. Moving.”

Ed’s smiled dropped before he quickly regained it. “Will do.” He said, turning to his coworker. “Let’s go, Micah.” He left with the auburn haired girl, who kept a lingering glance on Oswald as they walked away.

Somehow, Oswald couldn’t help but look right back at her.


	2. Late Night Adventures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Micah quit her job, and thought she's seen the last of the Penguin. However, travelling in the woods, she finds something she was not quite expecting.

Weeks had passed before the two crossed paths again, and even then, it was completely by chance.

 

Micah needed an escape. Seeing bodies upon bodies, all of which were dead, took a toll on the young woman. She couldn’t handle it. She couldn’t do it. That was that.

 

She needed something to get her mind off her old job. The idea just came to her: camping. Away from Gotham city. She needed to clear her head. Her dad had an old cabin. He said she could use it for however as long as she wanted. That was all the permission she needed.

 

The unemployed woman was there hardly a week when they had their encounter. And needless to say, it wasn’t what she expected. The girl walked in the forest at night. She planned to find a clearing; maybe look at the moon and stars. She heard that could be therapeutic. The girl wouldn’t know. She was constantly stressed.

 

With a flashlight in hand, Micah walked in the forest, looking around a bit, her dark brows furrowed, her hazel eyes narrowed. In the distance she saw some lights. Now, that threw her off. She has never seen another house in this area before. So what did the woman do? Investigate.

 

She heard some dogs bark in the distance as she walked closer to what appeared to be a trailer. She crept close to the door and pressed her ear to the door, trying to pick up a sound. She waited and brushed a strand of her copper colored hair out of her face.

 

A yell escaped her lips when the door swung open and struck the side of her head. “Fuck!” She swore hitting the dirt ground, dropping the black flashlight in her hand. “What the hell?” She slowly looked up, her vision beginning to steady.

 

A familiar, dark haired man hobbled out, a large bat in his hand, holding it up threateningly. Micah could feel herself sweat, fearing her execution. “Mister Cobblepot…?!” She said weakly, knowing this was probably her end, gritting her teeth.

 

Rather than strike her, the bird fell to his knees, dropping the bat with an audible clang. He panted heavily, and then did Micah’s eyes widen at the blood seeping through the man’s shirt. She sat up a bit, looking at him, actual worry in her eyes.

 

Oswald stared at her, breathing heavily, eyes wide in terror. “H-Help me…” He begged the girl. “Please…” He said before flopping onto his side, passed out.

 

~~~~~

 

When Oswald woke up, he was in an unfamiliar setting. His vision was blurred and as it began to focus, he realized he wasn’t in his trailer. That set him off. Hearing his stirring, Micah rushed into her bedroom, where Oswald laid in her bed. He saw her and began shouting and screaming in terror.

 

“No, no!” She squealed. “Shh!” She begged as he continued howling until she grabbed a syringe with a sedative (prescribed by her doctor for her recurring nightmares after seeing gruesome corpses at her job) and, with much difficulty (as he thrashed and flailed and fought against her), stuck the needle in his neck and injected it into his stream.

 

The Penguin looked at her, and with a quiet “fuck you,” he slipped back into his slumber. Micah sat on the foot of her bed with a deep sigh. This arrangement was one hundred percent not going to be easy, but she knew she had to make it work.


	3. Mysterious Micah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Micah has Oswald in her home. What will happen when he snoops and learns more about the girl?

When Oswald shakily woke up, the curly haired girl was standing over the bed. She pivoted at her waist and grabbed something on the bedside table.

“I got you some water.” Micah said, kindly, holding out a clear glass of water with a few ice cubes and a swirly straw.

Oswald glared at her unimpressed. “You drugged me.”

“It has a swirly straw!” The woman sing songed, really pushing the water drinking onto him.

The Penguin slapped the drink out of her hand, it landing on the floor and shattering.

Micah was silent a moment, before looking at Oswald. “Well now… that was just unnecessary.” She hummed calmly, grabbing a broom and a dustpan to collect the shards.

“You could be drugging me again.” He argues.

“I wouldn't have drugged you in the first place if you weren't screeching-” Micah started before Oswald noticed something.

“Where are my clothes?” He asked, once he realizes his wounds were wrapped and he was wearing some other man's clothes.

“Oh… well… they were covered in blood, so I got rid of them-” The former medical examiner said, before being interrupted again.

“Have we met before?” He demands, his brow furrowed. “I know you, don’t I?” He said, deeply examining her face, from her wide hazel eyes to her turned up, freckled nose, to her pink lips.

“Not exactly.” She said with an awkward laugh. Cobblepot stared at her, humorlessly. “Micah. Schwartz. Micah Elliot Schwartz. I saw you at the GCPD.”

“You're a cop?” Oswald said hesitantly.

“Oh, God no…” She laughed a bit again, the same awkward air floating around “ No, no, no, no. I used to work in forensics.”

Oswald’s dark eyebrows furrowed and he sighed, annoyed. “Look… I'm sure there's an interesting story to go with the ‘used to'. However I need to get going now.”

Micah stopped him from standing up with a quick, strong flick of her wrist that sent him back on the mattress. “Mr. Cobblepot, that's not a good idea. I won't stop you, however, you are a wanted man and you're seriously injured. I will give you an estimated 3 blocks before you will collapse.” Oswald sneered at her, but remained on the bed. “Once you recover, you are free to go.”

Micah then got her purse. “I’m going to the market to get some medical supplies and food.” She turned to the door, then paused, and looked over her shoulder with her piercing hazel eyes. “Remember… you could run… but I can guarantee Arkham is much worse than what it’s like here.” She reminds him. Then, encasing her curly hair in a hair elastic, she shut the door.

Oswald stood up. No, he wasn’t going to escape. He wasn’t necessarily happy, but the girl had a point; it was better here than it was to be in the asylum. He figured if he was to be staying here, he might as well know a bit about his captor. How would he find out about her? Easy. He was going to poke about and dig up some clues.

First, he made his way to her small bureau. He looked around. Socks, shirts, pants. No interesting items. He opened the top drawer and froze. He looked down and saw undergarments. He blinked. Micah had very plain underwear; but, surely girls didn’t wear lacy things on the daily, right? Oswald was confused that she didn’t seem to own anything that had anything fancy stitched in. No weird designs. Just white underwear and matching bras. He took a pair and shoved it in the pockets of his borrowed sweatpants. He was to examine them later.

Oswald was about to close the drawers when something reflected light, hidden in the very back of the drawer. Bingo. He gripped the object, pulling out a polished cedar box. He opened it, and engraved in the top revealed the box was a present.

To: Micah  
From: Ben

He had to find out who this “Ben” was. Perhaps the man he was borrowing clothes from. Oswald began pulling objects out of the chest. There were some photographs first. Pictures of a younger Micah with a tall man with slightly curly black hair. On the back of the first one it said, “College Graduation.” Another said, “Washington Monument,” and features the pair doing one of those perspective pictures where they pretend to hold the white tower up. “Concert Number One,” portrayed the girl seated by a piano, fingers on the keys, a microphone set up near her mouth.

Oswald placed the photos to the side, some other items in the box. A silver bracelet with the girl’s name carved in. A small circle locket. A pressed flower; a small white tuberose. Then he spotted some lined paper, he picked up a folded letter. He unfolded the sheet of looseleaf, going to read it.

“Dear Micah,  
You may have heard we are having a gathering at Ben’s Tuesday, but you should know that you will not be welcomed. I understand you may ‘miss’ Ben, but, no matter how much you express your remorse for what you did, you can’t change the past.  
What happened happened, and no matter how much you apologize, what happened is your fault. No matter what your stupid therapists say, no matter how much you try to enjoy yourself, Ben should’ve never wasted his time on a stupid bitch like you.  
My son had so much potential, but you robbed him of that 3 years ago. I hope you spend every second of the rest of your life haunted by the fact you ruined his life until the second it ended abruptly.  
If you come, we will call the police and have you forcibly removed from the cemetery.  
Sincerely,  
Leah Aaronheim”

Oswald stared at the letter in surprise. Did this girl kill this “Ben?” Was he being held captive by a murderer? The thought of that horrified him. Was that how she lost her job at the GCPD? They learned about her past as a killer?

Oswald put the contents of the box back in and put the cedar chest back in the drawer, getting back into bed. He had had enough exploring for the day.


	4. Suprise Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jim Gordon stops by the check on Micah, Oswald has some alone time to himself. What will he do with himself when he has complete privacy?

After Oswald ate the soup she made him for dinner (she promised she didn’t poison it, even tasting it to prove it), Micah’s eyes flicked toward the front door. Someone was knocking on it. “... Stay here…” She said. “And don’t make a fucking sound…” That was a demand, not a request.

Micah left her bedroom and shut the door. Oswald saw this as a chance to learn more about her, so he limped over to her bedroom door and pressed his ear against the frame to listen in on her conversation with a guest.

“Well,” Micah said, guilt evident in her voice. “This is certainly a surprise. But… I… why are you here?"

"I thought it would be best to check on you." Oswald recognized that voice as Jim Gordon's; the man who has spared his life.

"Jim," Micah said. "Really, I'm fine. I'm, uh, well, I'm still not quite sure why you're here to begin with."

"Well, I know the job was difficult, and of course we couldn't ask you to stay. It's just that we all miss you at the GCPD. And you shouldn't be a stranger. We're all ready to offer support, or see you off the clock."

Oswald's dark brows furrowed. Why was Jim so interested in her? Were they friends? Did he not know this?

"Um." Micah said. "Since you can all the way here, I guess I could make some tea… oh, but you're more of a coffee drinker, aren't you?" She sounded frazzled. Nervous, even.

"Tea is fine-" Jim tried to say.

"No! I have coffee, I think. For when friends come over." She assured him. "Let me fire up the coffee machine, and the kettle… and I'll get changed and we can talk."

Footsteps travelled in the living room, then to the kitchen as she set up her kettle and coffee machine as promised. "I'll be right back." She said. Oswald heard footsteps come close to the bedroom and he panicked backing away from her door. She slid inside, immediately covering his mouth. “Now, you listen,” She hissed quietly, so Jim couldn’t hear her. “You have to be real fucking quiet… if you make a loud noise, you will blow your cover. They will arrest me, and you will end up in Arkham. And is that what you want?”

Oswald, his mouth still covered, merely shook his head. “Good.” She said. “Now go get to bed and look away. I’m changing my pants.”

The Penguin limped back to the bed, and didn't look away in time. Micah, facing the other way, slid off her fuzzy pajama pants, revealing a pair of her clean, white underpants, like the ones that rested in Oswald's pockets. Her legs were long, her calves a bit muscled. Oswald felt his mouth dry up. The girl went to her dresser to pull out a pair of black leggings. She pulled them up her legs and he stared in awe. Before she turned and caught him staring, he quickly said, "I'm looking now. Hope you're done."

The brunette turned, but before she could say anything, the kettle began whistling. She sighed, mouthing 'quiet' to Oswald and left the room, closing her door again.

Oswald decided to make use of his time, pulling out her white under things from his pocket, laying them on the bed. They were tag less, a label on the inside of the clothing. Beneath the brand name was a large M; probably the size. There were 100% cotton, with a slightly stretchy waistband. Penguin brought the article up to his nose, sniffing it.

The underwear was probably freshly cleaned, a floral smell lingering on the fabric. The smell was almost comforting, like something one's mother would use. He thought back to her changing her pants, and the pair of cotton underwear she was wearing then. Did they smell the same? She had been wearing them all day. Did she sweat in them? He wondered if her sweat smelled.

His mind kept flashing back to those bare legs she had; smooth looking, and slightly muscular. He thought of the black, stretchy material settling on those pale, creamy legs. He felt his own fair skin turn a bit rosy and he licked his lips. He felt his borrowed sweatpants get suddenly tight around his crotch. He reached down and placed his palms on his swelling member, letting out a small noise.

Oswald would've been embarrassed, but she wasn't around. He looked around and found a box of tissues. So… it's come to this…

The Penguin grabbed a few tissues, and pulled down his pants, beginning to stroke himself and pump his erection, moaning from the stimulation. Oswald closed his eyes, and, somehow, began imagining it was Micah's hands wrapped around him. He bit his lip, firmly stroking himself, the thought of Micah doing it for him turning him on even further. He grabbed her underwear and placed them on his face, smelling the scent of the detergent and feeling the soft cotton of the fabric. He carried on, trying to keep his moans to a minimum.

Oswald could just picture the dark haired girl on her knees, working on him, placing him inside her wet mouth, just focusing on pleasuring him. He just thought about what it would be like to tease her, make her moan and squirm for him. The thoughts, the smell, everything became too much as he grabbed three of the tissues, using two to muffle his climactic moan, the other to collect his mess in.

About five minutes after, Oswald was redressed and in bed, the girl’s panties back in the pocket. Micah walked back in. “Jim’s gone… I have to change your bandages now.” She announced, heading to her bathroom to get them. Oswald wiped the sweat off his forehead, looking after her. What was this girl doing to him?


	5. Splish Splash

Oswald put down the girl's copy of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. It clearly had been one of Micah's favorites. The spine of the book was cracked in several places, she had folded many page corners to save her place, and there were little notes in the margin, alternating between print and cursive writing.

Over the past week, Oswald had luckily learned more about the girl. He learned simple things, like that she enjoyed cooking and reading Shakespeare. She had a wide music taste, listening to different things from The Rolling Stones to Green Day, then The West Side Story soundtrack.

Something she didn't tell him that he found (through more snooping) was that she did have lingerie, and that she hung the sets in her closet. However, he thought the plain underwear she always wore fit her more. They smelt like her. He liked that aspect.

Micah was unwrapping his wound, taking the bandages off. She softly rubbed the edge of the traumatized skin with her soft fingertips. "I think it's healed enough for you to take a bath… go on into the bathroom." She walked to her bureau, her back to him.

Oswald sat up and paused. "... Wait… What?"

Micah looked at him. "... I'm telling you to take a bath?" She smiled, teasingly. "You reek."

"Will you draw it for me?" He asked softly.

Micah's smile dropped as she looked at him. She didn't look angry, just confused. "Uh… no?"

Oswald's brow furrowed. "And why not? My mother used to."

"Yeah? And you're not five anymore."

"... She drew me baths my whole life."

"Oswald! You cannot be serious!" The very deadpan expression on his face alarmed her he was. "Holy crap…" The dark haired girl muttered. "This is fucking ridiculous."

“Please, Micah?” He said. “I’d really appreciate it.”

“Ugh, fine.” She growled, heading to the bathroom, the dark haired man following behind her. He watched carefully as she bent down to the knobs of her tub, turning on the hot water, then a bit of cold water, so he wouldn’t scald himself. The water splashed against the porcelain and splashed back onto her white top. “Dammit…” She said, her hands going to hide her bra from his view through the wet fabric. But he saw it. The bra was white, matching her underwear, but the sight of her cleavage peeking out of the garment was what really got him.

Oswald’s face flushed red. As though the thought of her legs in yoga pants weren’t enough to make him wake up a bit stiffer than he would’ve liked. “Wait here… I’m going to change…” She gasped, rushing toward her bedroom, embarrassed.

Penguin ran his hand down in his face, swearing a bit under his breath. This was driving him crazy. How is this girl so provocative without even trying? She could fall into a pile of mud, covered head to toe in the wet dirt, and still make it look seductive.

Micah came back in an opaque, but tight shirt. As if that was much better. She touched the water, seeing as it wasn’t too hot or cold, and turned the faucet off. “Okay… get in… I’ll be back in a minute with some clothes and towels.” She said, leaving again. He watched her go before stripping down and getting into the bathtub. It was so weird, bathing anywhere else but his own home, but there’s not any other options. She was keeping him hidden so he wouldn’t get arrested. She was taking care of him.

The girl came back with another pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt, and a pair of boxers, placing them on the radiator cap, before placing a warm towel beside the clothes. She turned to leave, when Oswald sat up. “Micah?”

Micah, looked over her shoulder at the man, the thick hair springy with the motion. “Yes, Mr. Cobblepot?”

Oswald smiled. “I like how you call me Penguin, Oswald, and Mr. Cobblepot. All three are fine.”

She nods, slowly. “You were asking me something?” She reminds him.

“Oh, um. I wanted to know where you keep the soap.” The dark haired man asked, his freckled hidden below his red blush.

Micah nods. “Oh.” She opened the medicine cabinet, pulling out a bottle of flowery body wash. “Sorry I don’t have anything ‘manlier.’” She said. “Sorry if it wounds your fragile masculinity.”

The spiky haired man shook his head. “I think I’ll manage.” He said as she left the bathroom.  
~~~  
Eventually Oswald exited the tub, drying off with the warm towel. He stepped into the underwear and was about to slide on the sweatpants before noticing “BEN” written on the tag. He remembered he needed to look into Mr. Ben Aaronheim.

Oswald left the bathroom, looking around the apartment for the girl, before finding her unconscious on her couch, a copy of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood resting upon her breasts. He smiled and began to head to the bedroom. He had one foot in the door before a sound escaped the girl’s lips.

“Oz…”

The short man froze, then looked over his shoulder in surprise. Did she just say-?

“Oz… Oswald.” Micah said breathily, shifting in her slumber.

Oswald turned red once again, before entering the bedroom, closing the door quietly, and reaching for the tissue box. Again.


	6. Ben Aaronheim

"Oswald. Try to take these… okay?" Micah asked, placing two, oval pills in his hands. The white color was a contrast of the solely black outfit she was wearing.

"What are they?" He asked, looking up at her skeptically. She huffed, placing her hands on her hips. Ever since he heard her moaning his name in her sleep the other night, everything she did made him paranoid. Even her saying something as simple as "good morning" made him over think what she could mean by it. She didn't even know he saw and heard her.

"You were complaining about lower back pain. I swear these will help… just take them." The dark haired girl said, pouring water out of the pitcher into a glass.

Oswald slowly put the pills in his mouth, drinking water to help them go down. Micah nodded, appreciative. "So that was Midol, commonly used to help stop menstrual cramps…"

The spiky haired man's head snapped toward her so fast, he almost got whiplash.

"You gave me 'lady medicine'?!" He demands.

"It helps with other things… don't be a baby bitch…" She smoothed out her casual looking black dress.

"Micah, did I ever lead you to believe I was menstruating?"

"They help other things. Please. Don't be a bitch baby." She huffed. She applied a coat of red lipstick to her lips before grabbing a handbag.

"Where are you going…?" He asked.

"Out."

"For how long?"

"A while. I'm going to a memorial service."

Then, without thinking, before he could stop himself, Oswald asked, "For Ben?"

Oswald's eyes widened as the bag slid off the girl's shoulder and to the ground with a thump. She then to him, her eyes wide and hollow. "... What the fuck did you just say?"

The Penguin knew he fucked up, but he knew it was too late to backpedal. "I asked if the service was for Ben…"

"How do you know about Ben?" She demanded, her voice cold.

"Well… For one thing, some of the clothes you gave me had his name written on the tag." She still looked at him skeptically. "And, the first day here, I admit I… poked around."

"You went through my things?" She demanded.

"I… well, yes. I suppose." He agreed.

“... The minute you are healed, you are out of here!” She seethed. “I take you, a wanted man, into my house! I harbored a fugitive! I could be arrested for that!”

“You can be arrested for showing up to Ben’s memorial. Seeing as you killed him.” The Penguin pointed out.

“Don’t talk about that like you know about it! You know nothing! You don’t know what happened!” She screeched.

“Then tell me!” Oswald said, furrowing his dark eyebrows.

Micah wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “Ben and I dated for… years. Since Freshman year of college. We did many things together. Travelled. He went to my concerts. I joined him for Sci-fi conventions. I enjoy it myself.” She mumbled. “But I never met his parents. He always seemed a bit… off when I brought up wanting to meet them." Tears streamed down her fair, freckled face before she tried to relax herself. "So… I had a BA in English, and he was going to get his master's in criminal justice. And he decided it was time I met his parents."  
~~~  
Micah smoothed her skirt for the fifth time. Her dark haired boyfriend looked at her, cupping her chin. "Hey, hey. Look at me." She looked at the boy, worry etched into her usually smooth, relaxed features. “They’re going to love you, Mic. You know I love you, right?”

The girl slowly nodded. “Y-Yeah, yeah. Of course.” She said shakily, her voice cracking. She breathed deeply, closing her eyes, praying she would stop quaking.

Ben looked up. “Mom! Dad!” He called, waving his hand wildly at a couple approaching. One man had dark brown, cropped short. The woman had dark black hair in neat, tight curls. 

The woman’s blue eyes narrowed. “Benjamin, please. Stop waving before you cause a scene.”

“Sorry, Mom… this is Micah!” He introduced with a smile, putting an arm around his thin girlfriend.

Micah took a deep breath and smiled, holding out her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Aaronheim! I’ve heard all about you!” She chirped, excitedly.

The woman looked at her blankly, then looked up at her again. “... Yes.” Was all the woman said, her mouth a straight line.

Meadow then turned to the man. “Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Aaronheim.” She said. He was a bit more welcoming. He took her hand with an emotionless face, saying nothing.

Ben had an awkward smile on his face. “Alright! So, the table should be ready any minute now!”

“You didn’t make reservations?” His father asked.

“Oh, well, it’s Tuesday. It’s not very busy-”

“Of course, Benjamin. We understand.” His mom cut her son off. Ben nodded, the quartet heading inside.

They were led to a table by a cheerful hostess, then they sat, receiving their menus.

“I understand you just finished undergraduate.” The woman said. “What was your degree?” She interrogated the young girl.

Micah smiled, proudly. “I have a Bachelor of Arts in English.”

Ben’s father nearly scoffed. “English?” He snorted. “What kind of career do you intend to get with that?”

“Well, Dad…” Ben already sounded exasperated. “Micah is a wonderful poet. She also is a musician-”

“Oh! A musician. Good choice, son.” His father laughed. “While she lounges around all day, doing nothing, you will work yourself to the bone just to make ends meet. What if you get married? Or have children?”

Ben paled as his mother was suddenly alert. “Wait… Benjamin… are you…” She sounded disgusted, “... dating this girl?”

“You didn’t know, Leah?” Ben’s father rolled his eyes. “You know he had bad taste in people. Especially women.”

Micah’s tongue was leaden in her mouth as Leah narrowed her eyes. “No, Jacob, I didn’t know!” She hissed.

Micah looked at Ben. “They… she… she didn’t know?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Why would you date her?” Leah pressed. “A musician? What if she actually does become successful? She’ll go on tour and sleep with another man like a whore!” She said sharply.

Micah felt her face burn. “I’m sorry… I… I have to go.” Micah said, standing abrupting, tossing her napkin down onto the table.

“Micah, wait!” Ben said, watching her leave. Ben looked at his parents. “We’ll be right back.” He said before following the girl out. The girl was already down the block, holding her heels to run off, her bare feet on the wet cement. He ran after her.

“Micah, hey!” He called. “Mikey, come on!” He begged, jogging over to catch up as she continued sprinting, about 3 blocks away now. “They don’t mean it!”

Micah turned to him, anger boiling in her misty, hazel eyes. “‘They don’t mean it?!’ Your father said I’m basically using you, and your mother called me a whore!” She said, voice breaking. She went back to walking away, ignoring the small scrapes on her feet.

“Come on, Mikey. We’ll go back, tell them we’re cutting out early-” He tried to reason with his dark haired girlfriend.

“Like hell I am! You’re crazy if you think I’m going back! I’m going home! I’ll see you after you have dinner with your dickish parents!” She said, stomping her feet.

“Micah-”

“No! I’ll see you later!” She said, casting a final look over her shoulder.

~~~

“... But you didn’t?” Oswald asked, lifting his dark eyebrows, his cyan eyes inspecting her tear stained face.

“I can still hear the gunshot.” Micah said, wiping her eyes. “I ran in the direction of the shot, knowing he was there. I knew it. A guy was running, a girl was crying, and Ben was dying. The girl, she kept apologizing. And Ben was just… he was bleeding out on the ground. I held him… had the girl run to a payphone to call an ambulance, and I just…” She covered her face, loud, uncontrollable sobs wracking over her body. “I told him he would be okay! He was coughing up blood, bleeding all over my dress. I didn’t say I loved him. I didn’t apologize. I just kept saying he would be alright. He was gone! He was just…”

Oswald grabbed the girl, pulling her against him. He sympathized with her. He lost his mother. He knew how horrible it was to have someone die in your arms. He knew how terrible it was to not do anything about it.

The girl sobbed against his chest. “I’m sorry…” She apologized. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” She whispered, voice horse with tears.

“Shut up…” Oswald said softly. “You need to calm down…” He gently reach down to hesitantly pet her head.

The girl looked up and kissed the man. His blue eyes widened before he shut his eyes and kissed the girl back. He wasn’t quite prepared for what came next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. There will be smut next chapter. This is the penultimate chapter. All comments and kudos for the story are appreciated!


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